We lost our first match. It was one of those sad, brutal losses, as we were up 3-1 in a race to 5 and ran three beautiful racks but handed them five back door outs. It was super painful. We’re hangin’ in there though. We won our next one 4-0 (race to 4 on the loser’s now) and just won again on the hill. Ugh…
We play again in 15 minutes, but I just wanted to leave you with these couple photos:
“Money Shot” Mark & Sally last night. I loved her shirt!
And, as far as the “new renovations” here, the only “new” things I’ve seen are the pens, do-no-disturb sign, and our ironing board:
After a late start yesterday afternoon, we didn’t arrive until about 3:30a.m. Poor Mike. The 9 Ball Challenge started at 9 o’clock and they stuck us in a smoking room. It took another hour to get a different room and hall all our crap to the new room. It was a temporary “mini suite” but there was nothing sweet about this suite. The only thing suite-like about it was the size. I think they would’ve been better off making this room into a double or even two rooms rather than a giant king with a 19” TV about 60 feet away.
By the time we finally dumped all our stuff, got some more ice for the cooler, and passed out, it was close to 5a.m. I had been awake for 22 hours. UGH…
There were 172 players in the 9 Ball Challenge and 24 will be returning tomorrow morning.
They were still setting up the tables in the main event room. They’ll be working through the night I’m sure.
There are renovations going on all over the place here. Looks like a little bar maybe?
Now here’s an interesting ad I passed in the hallway. Looks like they have their target market pegged, huh?
Back with more soon. The internet is slower than molasses here.
If you’ve been to the Riviera Hotel & Casino website lately, you’ve probably noticed that they’re really proud of their over 2,000 newly refurbished rooms.
In fact, according to the site, “oversized rooms offer maximum comfort and breathtaking views of the glittering Las Vegas Strip with its western scenic panoramas. Each accommodation has been attractively decorated, including all the important amenities Las Vegas has to offer for both leisure and business travelers.”
I really hope we end up with one of the newly remodeled rooms. I’m looking forward to the “views of the glittery Las Vegas Strip.” Oh boy.
The internet is still 10 bucks a day, no weekly or monthly price breaks (and if I recall correctly, slower than dial-up), but I guess they’d rather have you downstairs playing video poker than downloading porn in your room. I wonder if Kady’s is still there.
And no, I’m not referring to “teaching an old dog new tricks.” That’s a different article.
About three years ago, I was teaching Vegas, my white lab, to “wave” on command. Following the guidance of a book full of doggy tricks I had purchased, I could sort of get him to do it. He struggled a bit, gave me that tilted-head look of confusion, and just tried to get the treat from my hand. We worked on it for about 45 minutes and I just let him go play.
The next evening, I called him over, had him sit in front of me, and along with the waving hand gesture, I said, “wave.” Well, low and behold, on his very first attempt, he was waving. Without any assistance from me at all, he had remembered everything we worked on and was waving on his own. Nowadays, all I have to do is make the hand gesture and a little white paw comes creeping up.
Not to compare us with dogs, but I couldn’t help noticing an uncanny parallel after a difficult practice session the other day. I’d recently been struggling with my stroke hand inadvertently inching slightly back on my cue whenever my adrenaline starts pumping. I don’t always notice it when it’s happening. I just notice something feels a little off and I miss the shot.
On Monday afternoon, I had a three hour practice session where, before every single shot, I checked my perpendicular to make sure my hand was in the correct spot. Initially, it felt so awkward, like I was way too far forward. I didn’t care. I forced myself to shoot it anyway. Most of the time, I would make the shot. Sometimes, I was so flustered I would screw something else up.
I struggled. Admittedly, I was frustrated. I felt so inconsistent and wasn’t even sure if I was making any progress at all. I finished my practice feeling a bit deflated and left with my tail between my legs.
On Tuesday night, I screwed my pool cues together, determined to get to the bottom of this. As usual, I threw some balls out and just stroked some shots in to warm up; with some big powerful strokes. It was like a miracle. Everything I was forcing myself to so consciously do the day before was all happening on its own. I could see the shots. My stance and stroke hand all fell right into place. It was effortless.
I was thrilled. I had made progress. Forcing myself to the brink of madness the day before wasn’t all for nothing. Like Vegas, I had successfully learned a new trick. I absorbed as much as I could on the first day and when I gave myself a break and returned to the table refreshed, it all sunk in.
When I arrived home from running some errands yesterday, there was a long package on my doorstep and I knew exactly what it was! It was my custom Instroke case from Frank’s Center! It’s been about three years since the original idea of the case was initially entertained.
The first line of business was to add a little customizing of my own … a new Julius sticker.
With all my traveling, I really needed a much lighter case. My current hard Instroke with all my cues and accessories weighed nearly 10 pounds. UGH! (not to mention the extra weight in my luggage) The new case weighs about 3 pounds less. Can’t wait to break it in during Vegas!
Vegas’s reaction to the new case (well, at least his tail is wagging):
Actually, I broke it in last night at the Friday night Rack ‘Em tourney. There was supposed to be a money-added women’s tournament there today so I wanted to play in the tournament last night to get comfortable with the tables, and well, let’s face it, I usually have pretty good success there.
For a $5 tournament, they actually get about 20 players each week and the bar matches the pot. First is usually around 90 bucks! Yeah, pretty good return on a small investment. I signed up, hit some balls with my friend Shawn on a 9 foot Diamond, and showed off my new rack. I watched the players roll in. It was most of the usuals and many new faces, including a couple of the top players in the state. It was looking to be a tough field but I was up for the challenge.
It’s so great these days. There’s so many new faces on the pool scene, most everyone (including myself) has either forgotten or just has no idea that what’s-his-face and I were ever even together. In fact, while I played him last night, Sarah (a sweet girl that approached me about lessons earlier in the evening) said, “He plays really good. He wins this tournament all the time.” I couldn’t resist but to respond with, “Not when I’ve been here.” Well? It’s true. I’ve never seen him win, nor even cash for that matter, in all four tournaments I’ve played there this year. HA!
So, even more gratifying. The tournament is only a race to 2. I lost the first game and after I didn’t get out in the second game, he ran out but scratched on the 8. At hill-hill, I scratched on the break. When he missed the opening shot, I ran out. It was a pretty nice out too because I had to play short side shape for the ball before the 8 and get pretty good on everything. I was happy because I didn’t have to shoot one single recovery shot in that rack. I ran it exactly as I had planned. It was such poetic justice…
I ended up losing my next match to Ronnie Chavez (he’s one of those top players in the state I was referring to). That was pretty anti-climatic. He was up one and I made a really dumb decision to lose that game. Oh well.
Next, I played Peter, whom I’ve lost to every single time I play in this danged tournament. Well, not this time! He was up 1-0, didn’t get out the second rack, and then I broke and ran to finish off the set. SWEET!
Sadly, I had to play Shawn next on the loser’s side. Jafaar won the winner’s side and asked all of us if we’d be willing to split. I assume everyone said yes because he took off. Shawn and I agreed to chop our winnings too before the match since we were playing for 3rd/4th. It was a good match. We both played well. I missed a shot at hill-hill and he ran out. Strange. It’s been about five months now, I had to use low-inside and subconsciously adjusted for the deflection and hit it too full.
That’s okay. Shawn beat Ronnie and we split 4th and the total of the split 1st/2nd. Hence, how I came up with my 2nd 3/4 place finish. We each ended up with about $45. Not too shabby for a day’s work. I came home and plugged it into the 2008 Tournament P&L spreadsheet.
Earlier this month, I wrote about my new balls courtesy of Table Steaks East.
When I stopped in to practice this week I discovered that my special table #10 had been newly recovered while I was away. Not only that, but the counter staff have all been instructed to NOT give out the table unless there’s an absolute wait list or someone with a cue in hand that looks like they will take good care of it.
And what could possibly complete this magnificent trifecta? Only the most beautiful, perfect, CUSTOMIZED state-of-the-art DELTA-13 Rack (Eat your heart out, Fast Mikie!)
If I could afford it, I would get a customized rack for every great pool player I know. I love this thing so much! Everyone should have one of their own! Not only will it last you forever, but it truly does give you the best rack possible every single time since it’s made from such a solid aluminum and has absolutely no give or chance for warping, bending, bowing, or splintering.
On top of that, it’s also the perfect dimensions for straight pool, where it’s an advantage to be able to leave your break ball close to the rack. Notice how much smaller the DELTA-13 is compared to the standard Diamond rack.
Not only can you get your break ball closer, but with a reliable rack, you don’t need to be as delicate/careful when racking the remaining 14 balls.
I visited the Executive Billiards company today where all the magic happens. (Just the name alone is oozing with professionalism. I mean, they produce aerospace, computer, and medical equipment parts! I think they know a thing or two about precision.) I got a complete tour of the facility, saw all the various CNC machines, got to watch parts get cut out and drilled, and watched a DELTA-13 rack get assembled and quality tested. It was SO COOL! Just like walking through the Discovery Channel.
I even got to see the evolution of the rack from its original one.
It’s like the Mercedes Benz of pool racks (except that it’s made in the USA!). It’s the difference between the quality of Aramith balls vs. cheap foreign balls or Simonis cloth vs. gross nappy “felt”. It’s a blissfully quality rack and I’m so lucky to have one.
As I sat on the floor of the usual gate E4 awaiting my return flight to Minneapolis, reflecting on my weekend in Houston, I can admit that there are a few things that I could’ve done differently to have better prepared for this tournament.
From Little to Big
It’s unfortunate that the timing for this trip could’ve have been reversed. I would’ve much rather come prepared to play big table 9 ball before spending ten days competing in bar table 8 ball events. Not only would I have been in a better frame of mind for 9 ball, but I feel I would’ve still had the loose fluid stroke I had worked so hard to hone just before leaving for MN. There’s something funny that happens to your stroke when playing too much bar table pool. It’s easy to end up a bit pokey.
Nature vs. Nurture
It’s really amazing. There are two different worlds of players on the Hunter tour; the North and the South. In the South, you have the Austin crowd like Heather, Shayla, and Cristina who all have coaches and are so perfectly, mechanically sound and textbook. Then, you have the Dallas girls, Tara, Amanda, and Melinda who have more natural ability than the rest of us could dream of. Not that they’re not mechanically sound, but they don’t have coaches, they don’t even practice, and maybe don’t even play leagues at all, but play just as well, are just as competitive, and are just as successful at these events. Sorry for giving away your secrets ladies, but it’s just astounding to me.
So, when I get letters from readers asking me about the perfect practice formula, how much they should warm up and how hard they should work before competition, I have absolutely nothing to contribute. Of course I believe in practice and practicing the “right” way, but there’s a lot to be said about having paid your dues and just sitting back to reap the rewards from it. Personally, I’m just not there yet.
Friday Night
This weekend’s tournament was, to my standards, a complete disaster. After the 19 hour scotch extravaganza Wednesday, I didn’t hit a ball again until we arrived at Bogies on Friday night. Since we got in at such a reasonable hour, we were able to join Terry, Jilli, Spetty, and Sherry for a nice meal before my night of practice. We played a few games of 9 ball and immediately, I could tell that I really needed the practice.
A couple hours into it, former Colorado resident, Tim Byrum approached me about some cheap sets with a guy called Ray who just wanted to play some race to 5’s for $20. Sure. I obliged, so long as he’s respectful and there’s no haggling involved. I appreciated the light pressure and a new competitor.
He was a worthy opponent and it was a fair match up. I could’ve done without the chit-chat though. That’s what I love most about 9 ball… no talking. The only word absolutely necessary to mutter is, “push.” And even then, it’s usually pretty obvious.
I lost the first set 5-3 and was down 4-0 the second set after handing him just about every single game. He caught a gear and I started struggling. Then, at 4-0, when he didn’t put me away, he made the 9 ball and scratched. He missed his first shot of the next rack, I ran that rack and broke and ran the next two to make it hill-hill. In the final game, I broke dry, of course, he slopped in the first ball and missed the 3 ball and hooked me. I kicked it in and played an almost ideal safety on the 4 ball but left him a looksy for the runout.
So I lost 40 bucks, but I felt really good about how I ended the night and I was excited for the tournament to begin.
Saturday I won my first round 7-3 to Ashley. Though she may have unorthodoxed mechanics, she can pot the balls with the best of them. We were neck and neck at 3-3 until I really bared down and took off for the match.
I lost my next match to tour champ, Heather Lloyd. I’m really getting sick of this. I am glad, however, that I didn’t totally dog my brains out against her. I broke and ran the first rack and played pretty decent. I don’t feel I made any super dumb decisions. She struggled initially but then came back with her typical Heather-self. I missed a couple kick shots and it was all over. UGH!
I would win a few more matches on the B-side before losing to Helen who just made everything from everywhere. The table was breaking tough. I made balls, but the 1 ball kept ending up in the middle of the head rail. When I tried taking some off, I wouldn’t make a ball. I couldn’t figure out the break and she just didn’t miss. This one was a frustrating match. Win this one and I’m guaranteed 9-12th with a fresh start in the morning. I REALLY wanted a chance to come back in the morning. Unfortunately, the match did not go my way.
An Unpleasant Surprise
A group of us ended up at Carrabba’s for dinner on Saturday night. I wasn’t really feeling very hungry, but joined for the social value. All I had was bread, two bites of the day-old minestrone soup, and a Caesar salad. I would find myself making three separate visits to hug porcelain from 1-3a.m. that night. Ironically, I had a deadbeat roommate that worked at Carrabba’s so I never went there because it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Now it REALLY does, literally!
I consider myself to have a pretty high tolerance to spoiled foods, compared to most, but it must’ve been a bad Caesar or minestrone??? I don’t know but I was absolutely miserable on Sunday. I skipped the second chance, called for a late check-out and stayed in bed until Carter came to pick me up at noon. I was a complete mess. There’s no way I could’ve played a 10 o’clock match that morning. I could barely walk.
Carter and I took off early on Sunday to head back to Dallas where I caught my early Monday morning flight back to Minneapolis. I logged in my current miles and tournament winnings and enjoyed a peaceful, uneventful final day with my boyfriend before I fly home to Denver tomorrow. I have a busy schedule from now until the time I leave for Vegas.
I would like to extend a huge congrats to Nicole Keeney from Denver that showed up for the tournament with her boyfriend Elijah. She finished second in the tournament but won the WPBA qualifier. Great for her! She really played well this weekend and deserved it. She took down Lisa Marr and Susan Mello in the semi-finals.
I know things didn’t work out the way I hoped in Houston, but I’m really looking forward to the rest of this year. I have big things planned and I can’t wait to share all the details. Life is great!
The M8 Pool League Midwest Championships kicked off Wednesday morning with a scotch doubles event that drew 50 teams! I couldn’t believe either. 100 pool players took a Wednesday off from work to play in a $500 added scotch doubles tournament. Impressive! It’s tough to even get half that turnout for a Saturday singles event.
The first round started at 10am with four 16-player brackets where the final undefeated and one-loss team from each bracket moved to a finals bracket. Mike and I came out of our bracket untouched and stayed that way through until we hit the brick wall of Team Slow & Slowerer for the driver’s seat.
The M8 League ranking system is quite a fair one. Your handicap is a number between 50 to 125 and during league you play one match to your handicap against one single opponent. You receive one point for every ball pocketed and 7 points for the 8 ball. So, you can beat someone 14-7 up to 14-0.
The scotch doubles format was 40% of your total handicap. Mike is ranked a 125 and I played league as a 75 so 40% of our total handicap is 80. We had to spot every team but one. We beat a 92 (80-36!), 40, 48, 40, 44, and a 74.
The team we lost to was a 66 and they played nearly flawlessly…the first time. We won our next match and in a valiant effort, took them to the hill of the second set that finished at 5 o’clock the next morning.
It was scotch doubles at its finest…
There’s a strange phenomenon that sometimes occurs with jack-n-jill (male-female) scotch doubles where the m-a-n believes they have to be the hero, maybe because they don’t have enough confidence in their partner’s abilities. Inevitably, they end up trying so hard to leave their partner so perfectly that they miss or make a mistake instead of just leaving the tougher shot and doing what they would’ve if they were playing by themselves.
Mike and I play such great scotch together because neither one of us change our games. We’ve had matches where we played better with each other than we probably would’ve had we been playing solo. I have to admit, I LOVE playing scotch with him!
So, in the final game, in the 19th hour, Mike made the most perfect breakout shot, leaving me a simple “maker” that I, out of nerves, adrenaline, excitement, whatever, overstroked and left him just a little more than ideal angle to get me on the 8 ball (on the other end of the table). He made a great shot, but clipped the edge of their 6 ball and I ended up hooked, at hill-hill.
In my delirious state of mind, I made a poor decision to kick two rails instead of one and whiffed the 8 altogether, giving them a painful and anti-climatic ball-in-hand at hill-hill. The end.
I’m still proud of how we played overall and we ran some super nice matches, including a break-n-run to get on the hill in the final set. I learned a lot about stamina and endurance.
I had also lot my first match in the singles event last weekend and managed to finish third.
I’m currently in Houston for this month’s OB Cues stop. More to come later. Zzzzzzzzzzz…..
I arrived in Minneapolis on Tuesday and the tournament started early Thursday morning with back-to-back rounds of pool. From 11 in the morning, we played three rounds of scotch doubles (which I love!) before I played two more rounds of my singles matches.
I’ll write more about the details later. I’m pretty exhausted from the previous two 14-hour days on little sleep.
Here’s a quick update:
I finished 3rd in the masters singles and 3rd in the scotch doubles with Mike. I got picked up on a team called Mickey’s from Wisconsin with some very nice ladies but we didn’t cash. It’s been a super fun past few days and it starts all over again next Thursday with the M8 event. Man! There’s a ton of great pool out here. There’s huge singles and team events within driving distance nearly every weekend.
I’ve always been envious of the Minnesota pool community for having the MN Billiards Discussion Board and how frequently it gets used. Players in Minnesota (and surrounding areas) use this board to post tournament announcements, results, team and roommate needs, birthdays, and rants/raves, all the things that can’t wait until the next MNBilliards issue comes out.
It’s a very simple board for the players in the MN area very actively voice their opinions and support one another within the community. I waited and waited for something like this to come along in Colorado and finally took matters into my own hands this weekend.
It’s called Mile High Pool Players and it’s an online google group created as a way for Colorado Pool Players to stay up-to-date and in-touch with one another. Since it’s a google group, you must be a member to post, but anyone may view the group’s contents. Members can:
Start “Discussions”regarding upcoming tournaments, results, player updates, and news.
Contact other “Members” within the pool community.
Create “Pages” to express yourself. Insert photos or shot diagrams and share your stories here.
Upload “Files” that you want to share, e.g. league stats, tournament flyers, photos, etc.
I played in the Rack ‘Em tournament again tonight and I’m allowing myself to admit, I played like a monster! I was getting out from everywhere, and particularly racks that you wouldn’t expect anyone to get out of. You know, those ones where only one or two of your balls are free from the cluster but you just keep chipping away and the next thing you know, you’re shooting on the 8 ball??? Yeah! Racks like that!
My first match was against a strong player named Tommy. I know he didn’t mean to, but he put the rack on me in the first game. My opening break left a huge cluster with only a few balls separated from it. I strategically picked the rack apart from the break. I saw all the patterns and made the tough shots to get the job done. I couldn’t believe it myself! Even when I expected myself to miss, I made it.
And it all happened as I hobbled around the table.
My chiropractor appointment at 9 this morning confirmed that I had a pinched-ish sciatic nerve situation and after a few snap, crackle, pops, I felt about 80% better. I could tell things were moving and flowing again, but the joint was still very sore from the trauma. I’m not nearly in as much discomfort as I was on Wed-Thur, but certain movements are still sharply painful and I think I’m more afraid of aggravating the condition than anything.
I won one more match on the a-side and lost to Pete. I lost to him on Wednesday night too. UGH! He ran the first rack and I hooked myself in the second game with two balls left. It’s only only a race to two, bar table 8 ball, so I guess anything can happen. I was disappointed, but forgave myself because I made some really nice shots and breakouts to get on that ball. I was seeing the patterns and not making any dumb decisions.
I won three more matches on the b-side before meeting up with Pete again and splitting in the finals. Pretty anti-climatic.
I got away with a couple on the b-side, but I couldn’t believe how well I was playing overall. At the end of the night, my friend Shawn said, “You should have sciatic problems more often. You’re on fire!”
It sounds crazy, but pain and limited mobility really forced me to concentrate a little harder. It forced me to focus a little better on the contact point and it surely forced me to stay down. The couple times I jumped from excitement, I about fell over from the pain. I staggered around the table at a slow and steady pace and even though I was a little worried about not hitting a single ball on Thursday, everything just came together.
I remember once, Tom Ross told me how sometimes he plays better when he has a cold. I couldn’t believe or understand it at the time, but he explained that with his head all cloudy, none of that other stuff could get in the way and it made him have to work a little harder to stay focused.
I don’t recommend getting a pinched nerve or catching the flu to play better pool, but it’s funny how one big distraction can help make all the other little distractions seem insignificant.
I’d also like to clarify… When I referred to Toasti’s Blog as “My New Favorite” it’s more “My Favorite of the New” because it wouldn’t even be fair for a tenured, veteran, master blog such as FastMikie.com to be in contention for such a title. Hail to Fast Mikie, Master Multi-Blogger…
[I drafted this post months ago and am finally getting around to publishing it.]
I’ve recently befriended Toasti, better known as “The Hitman” Thorsten Hohmann. As much of a champion pool player as he is, he’s even more of a blogging machine! He did show me his secret, however. He blogs directly from his iPhone. Well, aren’t we clever?
Anyway, if you haven’t already checked out his blog, you should definitely make a point to. He takes the photos and submits the posts straight from his phone (sounds like something FastMikie would be doing).
His photos are great, his stories are cute, and because he’s blogging straight from his phone, all his posts are essentially real-time. Now I know what to ask Santa for. You can read an honest account of all his travels, friends, and tournament experiences, including shots he faced, a faux Toasti site, and tons of great candid photos.
Ironically, we both blogged about balls on the same day, so of course I found it only appropriate to finally get around to publishing this post.
Last week, the new owners at Mile 9, formerly Table Steaks East, approached me to say how much they appreciate all my hard work with promoting pool in there and to show their appreciation, they offered to buy me a new set of balls!
So, while I was picking up some other goodies from CueStix yesterday, I took the liberty of bringing back my new balls. They are SO beautiful!!!
Check them out:
These are my new balls in front of “my” table with new lights!
These are my dirty, fuzzy balls after only a couple racks of 9 ball:
I taught a lesson today and stayed to practice alone (with my new balls) for about four hours. Before I started I knew there was something not-quite-right going on with my tail bone-ish area. Well, by the end of the four hours, I could barely walk or lift my right leg. I think I might have pulled a muscle???
I seriously tweaked it. I don’t know. I just know I feel old and have never experienced anything quite like this before.
Ironically, my pool lesson today was with my chiropractor. My neighbor Jeff just brought me over some Icy Hot, so now I too can smell just like Shaquille O’Neal. Icy to dull the pain. Hot to relax it away. Aaaahhhh…
There was such a huge table speed contrast today between my two tournaments. The tables at Greenfields were speedy with super springy rails and the tables at Rack ‘Em were pretty slow/normallish with pretty worn out cloth. The conditions were night and day.
I decided tonight that I think I prefer a slower bar table. Not to be a snob, but with my recent experience, I don’t prefer a bar table at all, but if I had to choose from a faster one and a slower one, I always thought I liked a faster table but I don’t think I do.
It is fun to zip the cue ball around on a lightning fast 9 foot table, but when it comes to bar tables, I catch myself short stroking, not following through, and just feeling super cramped with my stroke when it plays too fast.
There’s already more traffic than usual, and it’s just too risky to have to be so delicate on a bar table. I don’t know who coined this phrase (it surely wasn’t me), but it definitely comes to mind now: “When you play on a bar table, you have to treat it like your b*tch.” It’s tough to do that when you have to be so careful not to overstroke the ball.
A slower bar table allows you to stroke the shots more confidently and drift into position without fear of getting hooked or sliding too far. I hate it when it seems the cue ball accelerates off the rail rather than slows down. It’s tough to predict the outcome and I hate having to think twice about it. I don’t believe bar tables are intended to play mach speed. It completely changes your patterns, and definitely your style, and even mechanics.
I played in two tournaments today. The first one was a scotch doubles tournament at Greenfields with Robert. Neither one of us played well. We won our first match and gave away the next two. In the last game of our last match, I kicked in the 8 ball and scratch. Ugh…
It wasn’t a complete loss. I got to spend time with my friend, introduced him to Old School Burger (our local solution to In-n-Out Burger), and visited some good friends. I debated on whether or not I wanted to play in another tournament but as we sat on their beautiful couch, staring at their giant screen HD TV, I found myself getting the itch. All I could think about was washing the nasty taste from earlier’s yucky pool from my mouth. Yes. I would play in another tournament.
I decided to go to Rack ‘Em Billiards. I hadn’t been in there since they recently changed ownership. The tournament is bar table 9 ball. Race to 4 on the front, 3 on the back. Short races and bar table 9 ball make for anyone’s game.
I got there in time to warm up and I was stroking the ball so well. I felt great. Though I only won one match, I was really happy with the way I played tonight. I broke well and ran out when I was supposed to. I made very few mistakes and the two opponents I lost to played strongly against me. I’m glad I played tonight.
I’ve recently removed some negative influences from my life and it’s really given me the faith, inspiration, and strength to start believing in myself again. I have been in a bit of a funk for the past few months, but I truly believe I’m fighting my way out of it.
I have the drive, I have my health, and I have the resources. I am ready!
As I suspected, more airlines have joined the social influences of United & US Air. First Delta and now, unfortunately for me, so has Northwest. Of the 44,542 miles I traveled last year, more than half of the air miles were definitely on NWA. WTF?!?!! This sucks!!!
As the first airline to remove pillows and blankets, they will soon be the first legacy carrier to start charging for a can of soda. What’s next? Will we need to purchase tokens to use the lavatories???
Check it out:
Free Checked Luggage Allowance for Northwest Airlines
* Domestic Travel (within the U.S./Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean) o Coach Class for tickets issued prior to March 29, 2008 for travel any time: Each ticketed passenger is allowed two (2) pieces of checked luggage.
1. Each piece: 50 pounds (23 kg) with linear dimensions not to exceed 62 inches (158 cm). o Coach Class for tickets issued on/after March 29, 2008 for travel on/after May 5, 2008: Each ticketed passenger is allowed one (1) piece of checked luggage.
1. Each piece: 50 pounds (23 kg) with linear dimensions not to exceed 62 inches (158 cm). o First Class: Each ticketed passenger is allowed three (3) checked pieces.
1. First two (2) pieces: 70 pounds (32 kg) with linear dimensions not to exceed 62 inches (158 cm) per piece.
2. Third piece: 40 pounds (18 kg) with linear dimensions not to exceed 45 inches (115 cm).
Domestic: The following charges apply to luggage in excess of the domestic free luggage allowance. Domestic travel includes the 50 United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
DOMESTIC TRAVEL tickets purchased prior to March 29, 2008 for travel any time
Number of Excess Pieces/Fee (USD) per Piece each-way
1st - 3rd/$80.00
4th - 6th/$105.00
7th and subsequent/$180.00
DOMESTIC TRAVEL tickets purchased on/after March 29, 2008 for travel on/after May 5, 2008
Number of Excess Pieces/Fee (USD) per Piece each-way
1st/$25.00
2nd and subsequent/$100.00
Example: If you check six (6) items within the size and weight allowances, the total cost for the excess pieces will be $345.00 USD for tickets purchased prior to March 29, 2008.
The Super Billiards Expo ended last Sunday and Mike & I stayed a couple extra days to do the whole liberty bell thing; an actual non-pool related vacation. Of course, I wake up Monday morning with a sore throat and was pretty miserable up until we left town Wednesday afternoon. Ugh…
Overall, I would rate this year’s Valley Forge as my favorite of the five that I’ve attended so far. Though I didn’t cash and just played barely above mediocre, I did have moments of greatness, met and got to know some really super people, and lined up a new sponsorship opportunity (more details to come).
My neighbor Jeff picked me up from the airport Wednesday night and I was pretty much bed (couch) ridden until Monday morning when I finally started feeling better and left the house for my first day of “work.”
It’s so exciting! I’m teaching a pool class at Windsor Gardens. They are SO CUTE! It’s a real job too. I had to take a p-test and everything! I’ll also be teaching a pool class this summer for the city of Aurora. It will be at the adult activity center and advertised in the quarterly Leisure magazine that goes out quarterly. Lots of teaching lined up.
In fact, since I’ve been pretty much healthy again this week, it feels like all I’ve done is teach and practice. I’m teaching my seniors pool class, taught two private lessons, and had 13 people at my free clinic on Tuesday night. Yikes!
![](http://www.pooltipjar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/dsc02838.jpg "\\"new renovations\\"")
